Engin Topan

Engin Topan serves as Associate Professor in the Industrial Engineering & Business Information Systems department at the University of Twente, with dual affiliation at the Digital Society Institute. His expertise spans reliability engineering, maintenance systems, and service logistics for capital goods, focusing on data-driven solutions for Industry 4.0 applications and after-sales service optimization.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Turkey (2010)

Dr. Topan's research centers on predictive maintenance and spare parts supply planning within service logistics, alongside proactive production planning for smart manufacturing. He pioneers AI-empowered flexible production systems for SMEs and develops service control tower frameworks for after-sales logistics. His work integrates operations research with practical industry challenges, emphasizing real-world applicability in manufacturing and service sectors through projects like ProSeLo and MANTIS.

Recent publications (2022-2025) reveal consistent focus on service control tower architectures, predictive maintenance algorithms, and data-sharing mechanisms in inter-organizational systems. Key themes include reference modeling for asset maintenance, heuristic optimization for operational planning, and pandemic response modeling—demonstrating interdisciplinary reach across logistics, public health, and information systems.

Scientific Awards:

• IISE 2022 Best Application Paper in Data Science, Quality, and Reliability
• ISE Transactions 2019 Design & Manufacturing Best Paper Award

Dr. Topan actively mentors graduate researchers and leads major collaborative projects: coordinating PERISCOP (AI-driven production planning for SMEs), serving as WP-leader in DESIRE (smart/resilient manufacturing), and contributing to OpsCenter (service control towers). These initiatives, funded through competitive grants, address critical gaps in sustainable manufacturing and service logistics while fostering industry-academia partnerships.

His research operates within the ProSeLo ecosystem for proactive service logistics and the MANTIS framework for maintenance planning, utilizing cross-disciplinary teams to develop decision-support tools. Current efforts focus on operationalizing service control towers through case studies with industrial partners, with future work targeting adaptive supply chains for SMEs in volatile markets.